No Stone Unturned

by Frank Morin

  "The key will be reaching the fortress fast," Connor told the army. "Be prepared to improvise."

  "You'll catch 'em by surprise again, General," Catriona shouted, eliciting a cheer.

  "Let's hope. If this works, you'll all get the bash fight you've been wanting."

  Another cheer.

  "They'll still think they can overwhelm us, but we can win through, despite the odds."

  Even Heber cheered, although only half-heartedly. Thankfully he kept his depressing statistics to himself.

  Connor took his place at the head of the army, downed a vial of soapstone, and shoved a piece of marble into his mouth. If only he could know if Ilse was still in the fort or not.

  Time to find out.

  In that moment a bright starburst exploded above one of the Sentry towers at the forefront of Rory's company, signaling the start of the competition.

  "Now!" Connor shouted.

  The close-packed soldiers linked arms, forming a single, tight column. The ground rumbled, then shook, nearly knocking some students sprawling as it heaved upward into a steep hill. Connor tapped soapstone and pulled streamers of water from the nine water bladders his Boulders carried. He spread it under everyone's feet and hardened the bottom layers to ice, leaving the top fraction of an inch liquid to help make the slope slippery.

  The entire column began sliding forward together down the steep slope. Before the front ranks could slam into the ground at the base of the hill, Declan rolled the hill forward through the ground, allowing them to slide onto the newly-raised earth.

  Their slide accelerated rapidly over the smooth ice, driven by so much weight down the continuously shifting earth. Within seconds, they accelerated across the plain so fast on the moving hill the Striders in full fracked sprint could barely keep up.

  As they began to slide, Connor whooped. It was working! The hot wind dragging tears from his eyes smelled of fresh-turned earth, and Connor shouted again. Fearghas took up the cry and it spread through the army until they roared across the plain at full volume, sounding like they had left their brains packed in boxes and waiting for their return.

  If they were to have any chance at winning, they needed a little insanity. Neither Padraigin nor Redmund had shifted to attack him directly. The need to reach the fort and secure the standard overrode any other concerns.

  As fast as Connor's army was moving, they still wouldn't beat Ivor to the fort. The clever champion had borrowed Connor's tactic from the last battle and laid down a pathway of ice over which all of his Striders pulled sleds bearing Boulders.

  Copying was a sign of respect, right? Ivor would arrive first, but only with a fraction of his army. That was a calculated risk. If he could win the standard quickly enough and escape before the other armies arrived, the battle would end almost before it began.

  If something slowed him down, he could end up a prisoner of war and lose spectacularly. It was clear he hadn't planned for Connor to speed across the plateau so fast with his entire army. Worse, there was no way he was ready for Ilse if she was indeed trapped in the fort.

  Both Redmund and Padraigin must have realized they were hopelessly too slow. The only chance their armies could win the day was to change tactics, so they both turned south. If they moved fast, they could intercept Ivor as he attempted to return to his army with the standard. Their challenge was now to take him and the standard. If either of them could pull that off, they'd snatch victory away from Ivor at the last moment.

  That was fine with Connor. The fewer people fighting in the ruins the better. He still hadn't decided what he would do if Ilse was really there, but the situation was looking just a bit more promising.

  Then the ground just in front of Redmund's army collapsed in a cloud of dust. For a second, Connor wondered if Padraigin or one of Ivor's Sentries was trying to slow Redmund down. As the dust cleared he realized the truth with a new wave of dread. The ground had dropped into a narrow trench leading back toward the fort, as if a tunnel had collapsed.

  Had Ilse dug that secret tunnel as her escape route? If she hadn't already passed through it, she was now trapped.

  There was nothing Connor could do but assess the situation when he arrived. So he focused on making sure his army continued its rapid progress. Declan was grimacing with the strain, but he maintained the rapid pace, shifting enough earth to make any Sentry proud.

  When they reached the north side of the low hill upon which the fort sat, Declan flattened their hill. That close to the fort, the curve of the hill concealed them from Ivor's army. With the other two armies already heading south to intercept Ivor's soon-to-be fleeing forces, Connor and his people were momentarily alone.

  Connor split his forces and sent Shona and half the army around the east side of the hill, while Catriona led an identical party to the west, with Striders flanking them both. Their orders were simple. Cut off Ivor's smaller force and knock them all out of the battle.

  "Declan, give them what cover you can," Connor ordered, then ran for the fort at the top of the hill. "Fearghas, on me."

  Connor scrambled over the broken outer wall and paused to survey the area, hoping and fearing to find Ilse. The fort consisted of little more than a broken down keep, surrounded by piles of rubble that had been outbuildings. The back half of the keep had collapsed, but the front section still stood. It leaned so far over, it would have surely fallen years ago if not for a thick oak tree buttressing the front corner. Part of the roof remained, although huge holes gaped through.

  Fearghas flanked him several yards to the left and signaled the all clear. Directly across from them, Ivor and Jok jumped the broken-down remains of the southern section of wall, about two hundred yards away.

  He hoped Ivor was in a cooperating mood. Waving Fearghas to stay behind him, he trotted toward Ivor, hands raised in a sign of peace.

  "What's the plan, General?" Fearghas whispered. "I can take Jok if you can subdue Ivor."

  "The plan is a bit more complex than that. Just follow my lead."

  Fearghas groaned. "Can't anything be straight-forward with you?"

  "I wouldn't want to disappoint."

  Ivor strolled toward Connor with water and fire flickering back and forth between his half-raised hands. "Another impressive trick, General. You realize, every general from now on is going to copy that tactic when they have to move an army at speed?"

  "They can try," Connor said. "But will they have the flair to make it work?"

  "I don't really have time to chat," Ivor said. "Are you offering a surrender?"

  "I'm offering a deal. You take the standard. I find any defenders and deal with them."

  Both Jok and Fearghas looked stunned, but Ivor laughed. "Are you expecting me to argue?"

  Connor extended his hand. "Deal?"

  Ivor took it, grinning. "Jok, find that standard and let's get out of here."

  "Go help him," Connor told Fearghas. The Blade looked confused, but obeyed. Together, the two disappeared into the dilapidated fort, the only place where a standard could be concealed.

  Connor had already tapped quartzite and scanned the area with enhanced hearing, but found nothing. If Ilse was still there, she was hiding. He doubted they'd jump out and attack the two students unless provoked.

  "That was a little obvious, don't you think?" Ivor asked when they were alone.

  "Not enough time for subtlety, I'm afraid," Connor replied. "I'll have to explain it somehow to Fearghas."

  "I don't see any defenders," Ivor said. "Capturing some would guarantee second place. It was a good idea, as long as they haven't all left."

  Connor would accept defeat if it meant Ilse was already gone.

  Jok ran out of the Keep, holding the standard high and pumping his other fist in victory. Fearghas followed him, looking like he wanted to tackle Jok and steal the flag.

  "See you later, General." Ivor saluted, then raced back to the ruined southern wall and clambered over with Jok in tow.

  "Why did you let them g
o?" Fearghas demanded. "We could have taken them?"

  "Ivor left most of his army behind," Connor reminded him. "Our forces will cut him off while Redmund and Padraigin engage the bulk of his army. Ivor will get bogged down dealing with all of that. We'll have time to find the defenders and subdue them."

  Ilse's voice pulled him around. "I might have something to say about that."

  She and her team stood in the doorway of the broken-down keep. They did not look friendly.

  Chapter 53

  Fearghas grabbed Connor's arm, "Quick, General. Let's take them!"

  "Go," Connor ordered him. "Find Shona and tell her to rally the troops and get that standard. I'll deal with this group."

  Connor was relieved when Fearghas didn't argue, but only said, "Hurry, General, or Captain Rory will steal the prize."

  Connor followed Fearghas' pointing finger. Sure enough, Rory and his army were bearing down on the fortress, but the student armies were crashing together right in front of him, blocking his path.

  The standard blew into the air on a Pathfinder-generated wind. Somehow Jok must have lost his grip on it, and the armies scrambled for it. Their organized ranks disintegrated into a chaotic bash fight as students scrambled to recover the precious flag.

  "Go," Connor repeated and Fearghas sprinted away.

  Ilse advanced on him, flanked by the scowling siblings.

  "I'd hoped you had gotten away," he said.

  "You shouldn't have brought an army to check," she growled.

  "It wasn't me," he said quickly before Erich and Anika could close on him. "I don't know who discovered you, but we've only got seconds before Rory arrives to take you."

  Erich cracked his knuckles and shared a fierce grin with Anika. "Many hurt, much break heads."

  "You don't have time," Connor repeated. "The flag won't distract them for long."

  They allowed him to prod them north around the keep, then they ran for the eastern edge of the compound, away from the fighting.

  "Why the interest in the silly flag?" Ilse asked as they ran.

  "It's part of the game."

  "So if we get it, we win?" she asked.

  The keep blocked Rory from view, but no doubt he was coming fast. "Rory won't let you win."

  "What do you suggest?" Ilse asked, looking like she still wasn't convinced he wasn't part of the assault.

  "Trust me and don't struggle too hard."

  "If you betray us," Ilse said in a stone-cold voice. "I will be forced to follow my secondary objective."

  "Just play along."

  At her terse nod, he tapped marble and ignited the old keep. It caught fire like it had been waiting for a chance to burn for decades, and a thick column of dense smoke billowed out. He tapped quartzite and drew an eager wind down to blow the heavy smoke back over the battlefield. Hopefully that would help conceal what he was doing.

  Then he wrapped each of the Grandurians in sheets of ice from neck to toe and began sliding those prisons of ice northeast along a flowing sheet of water. It took only seconds to clear the wall and descend the hill. On flat ground, he jumped onto the water next to the ice prisons and rode, increasing their pace until they slid across the ground as fast as a galloping horse. He dared to hope they might just reach safety.

  A moment later, his hopes wilted as a pair of Striders raced around the hill, pulling Shona on a sled. Behind her came Rory and the bulk of his army.

  "Must move faster," Ilse stated through chattering teeth. "Angle further to the east."

  "There's sheer cliffs that way."

  "Exactly."

  Hoping Ilse's unorthodox brilliance could save them one more time, Connor did as he was told and increased their pace. Shona and her Strider pullers still caught up a moment later.

  Bouncing across the ground next to him, Shona said, "Excuse me, General, but you're going the wrong way."

  "I thought I ordered you to take the standard," he told her, not slowing.

  "Don't play the fool with me, General. We need you to take the flag, and orders are to turn the prisoners over to Captain Rory."

  "I keep the prisoners until we get the flag. This way there's no confusion who wins the points for the capture."

  Shona jumped off the sled, joining Connor on the ice sheet. He was tempted to knock her off, but she grabbed the buckles of his armor. He couldn't spare the effort fighting her and still get Ilse free.

  Shona ordered the Striders to keep pace out of earshot, then touched Connor's cheek with one cool hand. "Connor, I know this is hard for you, but you have to make a choice. Cast aside Ilse's manipulations and decide. Are you a Guardian or are you unworthy of my patronage?"

  Connor slowed the movement of the waters. Patronage was a lie, but he wasn't ready to break with Shona. Too many lives still hung in the balance.

  Ilse spoke, "What's it going to be, boy?"

  Shona touched his cheek again. "Oh, Connor, they have you so confused, don't they?"

  Before he could respond, Anika shattered her ice prison with a single, convulsive heave. Connor and Shona ducked the flying shards, but Anika tackled Shona off the sliding ice sheet to the ground, forcing Connor to halt.

  The two women rolled, pummeling each other. Connor moved to help, although he couldn't say which of them he planned to stop, but Erich also shattered his ice prison and intercepted him.

  "I don't want to hurt you," Connor started to say.

  Erich laughed, a rich, hearty laugh, and slugged Connor so hard in the chest that even tapping granite, the blow sent him tumbling from his feet. By the time he shook off the blow and rose, Anika and Erich together had thrown Shona far back toward Rory's now-charging army. The Striders who had been pulling her raced to her aid, and the siblings broke the ice prisons of the rest of their small company.

  "Last chance," Ilse said to Connor.

  He couldn't leave, not like that.

  Ilse read his expression and sighed. "You can't live in both worlds, Connor. Farewell."

  Then she spun to the east and started to run, with the siblings close on her heels and Dietmar flanking them. Margrit began to give chase, but a small stone slung by one of the Striders with Shona clipped her in the back of the head and she fell, stunned.

  Anika noticed the danger and ran back. The two Striders closed on Margrit, a net held between them, with Shona hurrying behind. Connor moved to intercept the Striders, but they easily avoided him and threw their net over Margrit, knocking her back to the ground, fully entangled.

  Anika reached Margrit and ripped the net free. Ilse and Erich turned back, but Anika shouted something in Grandurian, hoisted Margrit over her shoulder, and gave chase. Ilse grabbed Erich, and the two of them resumed their run, with Dietmar falling back to help protect Anika from the Striders.

  The ground just in front of Anika surged upward into a wall extending fifty feet in both directions, cutting her off from the rest of her party.

  Rory and his army had arrived.

  Anika crashed into the wall, shoulder tucked, in a desperate attempt to break through. The wall cracked, but held, and she stumbled back, looking surprised.

  The captain and the Sentry class teacher flowed across the plain atop a tower of earth, flanked by Donald and half a dozen Striders. Anika faced them in a fighting crouch, a snarl of defiance on her lips.

  Connor wanted to howl with frustration. He couldn't help Anika, not in the face of Rory and his army. She glanced at him, and he read the truth in her eyes.

  Her fate was in her own hands.

  Captain Rory leaped off the tower, hands high in a sign of peace. "Please surrender."

  Margrit tapped the external powers of quartzite and a howling wind tore at Rory and sent nearby Striders skipping away like blue larks before a storm. Rory advanced through the wind, and Anika tackled him with a wild battle cry.

  The two crashed to the ground and Anika beat at Rory with crazed abandon, but he ducked his head and held on, keeping her from standing. Tomas and Cameron arrived and
secured her hands and feet with thick chains. Within seconds, she lay trussed and helpless. She arced her back in a final, futile act of resistance and her furious scream tore at Connor's heart.

  Striders subdued Margrit, and soon dozens of soldiers ringed the prisoners. Connor stood to one side, helpless.

  "Connor, come away," Shona said softly. He hadn't noticed her approach.

  The earthen wall settled back into the ground and in the distance, Ilse and Erich were just disappearing over the outer lip of the plateau. He saw no sign of Dietmar. Either they had an escape route in mind, or they planned to slide down the near-vertical cliffs and hope their granite strength held out until they reached the bottom.

  "Connor." Shona pulled his head around and took his face in both of her hands. "I wish there was some other way. I know they confused you, but it had to be done."

  He didn't trust himself to speak. She drew him back toward the battle that still raged around the fortress. It felt like he had left it hours before, but in reality bare minutes had passed. "We need to capture the standard."

  Connor couldn't stay and witness Anika carried away in chains. Instead, he focused all his frustrated rage on the battle and returned to the fight with a vengeance.

  It didn't matter.

  He had stayed away too long. Although he descended on the battling students in a rage of living fire and ice as cold as the dead place in his heart, alone he couldn't defeat everyone. The battle was a mess, with armies mixed in too tight and students fighting individual duels. In the chaos, Ivor escaped with the standard.

  As Connor led his battered army back toward the Carraig, with Shona walking close beside him, Fearghas said, "Well at least you captured some of those defenders. We'll get second place for that."

  "Who were they?" Declan asked.

  "It doesn't matter," Connor said softly. "It was all part of the game."

  And the stakes had just escalated to deadly levels.

  Chapter 54